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Juczyński Z, Wojciechowska-Kozłowska O, Ogińska-Bulik N. Determinants of the Negative Consequences of Secondary Exposure to Trauma in Caregivers of Holocaust Survivors Living in Poland. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2023; 62:300-315. [PMID: 36083525 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-022-01656-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study, involving 50 caregivers of Holocaust survivors, was to determine the degree of exposure to secondary traumatic stress (STS) and identify the mechanisms of its development. Several standardized measurement tools were used. It was found that a probable diagnosis of STS could be ascertained in 44% of caregivers. The multiple regression analyses model explains 72% of the total variance of STS. The strongest predictor, explaining 37% of the variability, turned out to be disruptions in beliefs about the meaning of life, spirituality and self-worth as a person. In order to reduce STS symptoms in caregivers, attention should be paid primarily to their cognitive functioning, including possible disruptions in basic beliefs.
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Varela RB, Cararo JH, Tye SJ, Carvalho AF, Valvassori SS, Fries GR, Quevedo J. Contributions of epigenetic inheritance to the predisposition of major psychiatric disorders: theoretical framework, evidence, and implications. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104579. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Gribble R, Mahar AL, Keeling M, Sullivan K, McKeown S, Burchill S, Fear NT, Castro CA. Are we family? A scoping review of how military families are defined in mental health and substance use research. JOURNAL OF MILITARY, VETERAN AND FAMILY HEALTH 2020. [DOI: 10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: While some families may experience poor mental health, substance use, and poor school performance due to service life, the usefulness and applicability of these research findings may be affected by how representative study participants are of the broader population. This article aims to examine how research on mental health and substance use defines a “military family” to understand if the current body of evidence reflects the increasing diversity of this population. Methods: A systematic search of academic articles was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycINFO, Ebsco CINAHL and ProQuest PILOTS using database-specific subject headings and keyword searches for ‘military’, ‘family’, ‘mental health’ and ‘substance use’. Sociodemographic and military characteristics of study participants were extracted to identify who was and was not included. Results: The most commonly represented family structure was the traditional, heteronormative family comprised of a male service member married to a female civilian with whom they have children. Military couples without children, dual-serving couples, families of LGBTQ personnel, unmarried and new relationships, single parents, male spouses/partners, Veterans not seeking Veterans Affairs (VA) services, and families with additional challenges were regularly not reflected in the research due to implicit or explicit exclusion from studies. Discussion: Research on mental health and substance use among the family members of service personnel continues to reflect the traditional, heteronormative family. Future studies should consider more inclusive definitions of family and creative approaches to recruitment to ensure research in this area reflects the experiences, needs, and strengths of an increasingly diverse military community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Gribble
- King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alyson L. Mahar
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Mary Keeling
- Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Sullivan
- Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sandra McKeown
- Bracken Health Sciences Library, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susan Burchill
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Nicola T. Fear
- King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Academic Department of Military Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carl A. Castro
- Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Konečná K, Lyčka M, Nohelová L, Petráková M, Fňašková M, Koriťáková E, Sováková PP, Brabencová S, Preiss M, Rektor I, Fajkus J, Fojtová M. Holocaust history is not reflected in telomere homeostasis in survivors and their offspring. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 117:7-14. [PMID: 31255955 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres, nucleoprotein structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, are crucial for the maintenance of genome integrity. While the lengths of telomeres at birth are determined genetically, many factors including environmental and living conditions affect the telomere lengths during a lifespan. In this context, extreme and long-term stress has been shown to negatively impact telomeres and their protective function, with even offspring being influenced by the stress experienced by parents. Using quantitative PCR, the relative lengths of telomeres of survivors of the Holocaust during World War II and two generations of their offspring were analyzed. These data were related to those of control groups, persons of comparable age without a strong life stress experience. In contrast to previous studies of other stress-exposed groups, the relative lengths of telomeres were comparable in groups of persons exposed to Holocaust-related stress and their progenies, and in control groups. Interestingly, shorter telomeres of Holocaust survivors of the age under 12 in the year 1945 compared to Holocaust survivors of the age above 12 were detected. Our results are discussed with respect to certain exceptionality of persons having been able to cope with an extreme stress more than 70 years ago and living to a very old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Konečná
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Lyčka
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Nohelová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Petráková
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Fňašková
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Koriťáková
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic; Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Polanská Sováková
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sylva Brabencová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Preiss
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic; National Institute of Mental Health and University of New York in Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Rektor
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslava Fojtová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) and National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
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Hodes GE, Epperson CN. Sex Differences in Vulnerability and Resilience to Stress Across the Life Span. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:421-432. [PMID: 31221426 PMCID: PMC8630768 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Susceptibility and resilience to stress depend on 1) the timing of the exposure with respect to development, 2) the time across the life span at which effects are measured, and 3) the behavioral or biological phenotype under consideration. This translational review examines preclinical stress models that provide clues to causal mechanisms and their relationship to the more complex phenomenon of stress-related psychiatric and cognitive disorders in humans. We examine how genetic sex and epigenetic regulation of hormones contribute to the proximal and distal effects of stress at different epochs of life. Stress during the prenatal period and early postnatal life puts male offspring at risk of developing diseases involving socialization, such as autism spectrum disorder, and attention and cognition, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. While female offspring show resilience to some of the proximal effects of prenatal and early postnatal stress, there is evidence that risk associated with developmental insults is unmasked in female offspring following periods of hormonal activation and flux, including puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause. Likewise, stress exposures during puberty have stronger proximal effects on girls, including an increased risk of developing mood-related and stress-related illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Hormonal changes during menopause and andropause impact the processes of memory and emotion in women and men, though women are preferentially at risk for dementia, and childhood adversity further impacts estradiol effects on neural function. We propose that studies to determine mechanisms for stress risk and resilience across the life span must consider the nature and timing of stress exposures as well as the sex of the organism under investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - C. Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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Ullmann E, Licinio J, Perry SW, White LO, Klein AM, Barthel A, Petrowski K, Stalder T, Oratovski B, von Klitzing K, Bornstein SR, Kirschbaum C. Inherited anxiety-related parent-infant dyads alter LHPA activity. Stress 2019; 22:27-35. [PMID: 30424700 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1494151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is incompletely understood. We hypothesize that disruptions in mother-child relations may be a key contributor to development of PTSD. A normal and healthy separation-individuation process requires adaptations of self- and interactive contingency in both the mother and her child, especially in early childhood development. Anxious mothers are prone to overprotection, which may hinder the individuation process in their children. We examined long-term stress hormones and other stress markers in subjects three generations removed from the Holocaust, to assess the long-term consequences of inherited behavioral and physiological responses to prior stress and trauma. Jewish subjects who recalled overprotective parental behavior had higher hairsteroid-concentrations and dampened limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis reactivity compared to German and Russian-German subjects with overprotective parents. We suggest that altered LHPA axis activity in maternally overprotected Jewish subjects may indicate a transmitted pathomechanism of "frustrated individuation" resulting from cross-generational anti-Semitic experiences. Thus measurements of hairsteroid-concentrations and parenting practices may have clinical value for diagnosis of PTSD. We propose that this apparent inherited adaptivity of LHPA axis activity could promote higher individual stress resistance, albeit with risk of an allostatic overload.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Ullmann
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - J Licinio
- c College of Medicine , SUNY Upstate Medical University , New York , NY, USA
| | - S W Perry
- c College of Medicine , SUNY Upstate Medical University , New York , NY, USA
| | - L O White
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - A M Klein
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
- d International Psychoanalytic University Berlin , Berlin, Germany
| | - A Barthel
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- e Medicover , Bochum , Germany
| | - K Petrowski
- f Department of Psychology , University of Witten/Herdecke , Witten/Herdecke , Germany
| | - T Stalder
- g Department of Psychology , Biopsychology, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- h Department of Developmental Psychology , University of Siegen , Siegen , Germany
| | - B Oratovski
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
| | - K von Klitzing
- b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig , Leipzig , Germany
| | - S R Bornstein
- a Department of Medicine , Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
- i Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes , Kings College London , London , UK
| | - C Kirschbaum
- g Department of Psychology , Biopsychology, Technical University of Dresden , Dresden , Germany
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Hoffman Y, Shrira A. Shadows of the past and threats of the future: ISIS anxiety among grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Psychiatry Res 2017; 253:220-225. [PMID: 28391139 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.03.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined intergenerational transmission of trauma in grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. While many typically do not find evidence for such effects, careful reading of the relevant literature suggests conditions under which such effects may be obtained. Following, we made use of three factors. First, we took the number of grandparents exposed to the Holocaust into account. Second, we examined participants who were exposed to present terror and displayed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Third, we measured anxiety of a future ISIS threat, which in its genocidal nature is reminiscent of the Holocaust. Results reveal that grandchildren having all four grandparents who survived the Holocaust in conjunction with them directly experiencing PTSD symptoms demonstrated greater ISIS anxiety than other groups. Results are discussed in reference to various conditions that may determine the likelihood of intergenerational transmission of trauma emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaakov Hoffman
- The Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
| | - Amit Shrira
- The Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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